Nonnus of Panopolis · Dionysiaca Διονυσιακά

Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 13.309–392: Book 13: Sicilians and Libyans; Psyllos and the winds

Achates leads the Sicilians, with Phaunos, a son of Circe. The poet tells how Cadmos and Harmonia once lived in Libya and defended it against the Maurians. The Libyans come under Crataigonos, after Psyllos, who made war on the south wind, was drowned with his fleet.

Lines 13.309–392 · 695 words · click a number to copy its link
309τῷ δʼ ἐπὶ Σικελίηθεν ἑκηβόλος ἦλθεν Ἀχάτης, 310καί οἱ ἐφωμάρτησαν ὁμήλυδες ἀσπιδιῶται, Κιλλυρίων τʼ Ἐλύμων τε πολὺς στρατός, οἵ τε Παλίκων ἕδρανον ἀμφενέμοντο, καὶ οἳ Κατάνην πάρα λίμνην γείτονα Σειρήνων πόλιν ᾤκεον, ἃς Ἀχελῴῳ Τερψιχόρη ῥοδόεσσα βοοκραίρων ἀπὸ λέκτρων 315τίκτεν ἀελλήεντι συναπτομένη παρακοίτῃ· οἵ τʼ εἶχον Καμάριναν, ὅπῃ κελάδοντι ῥεέθρῳ Ἵππαρις ἀστήρικτος ἐρεύγεται ἀγκύλον ὕδωρ, Ὕβλης θʼ ἱερὸν ἄστυ, καὶ οἳ σχεδὸν ᾤκεον Αἴτνης, ἧχι πυρὸς κρητῆρες ἀναπτομένης ἀπὸ πέτρης 320θερμὸν ἀναβλύζουσι Τυφαονίης σέλας εὐνῆς, οἵ τε δόμους ἐδάσαντο παρʼ ὀφρυόεντι Πελώρῳ, καὶ δάπεδον νησαῖον ἁλιρροίζοιο Παχύνου, καὶ Σικελὴν Ἀρέθουσαν, ὅπῃ μετανάστιος ἕρπει στέμματι Πισαίῳ κομόων Ἀλφειὸς ἀλήτης, 325πορθμεύων βατὸν οἶδμα, καὶ ἀκροτάτου διὰ πόντου ἕλκει δοῦλον Ἔρωτος ὑπέρτερον ἄβροχον ὕδωρ, θερμὸν ἔχων ψυχροῖο διʼ ὕδατος ἁπτόμενον πῦρ. τοῖς ἔπι Φαῦνος ἵκανε πυρισφρήγιστον ἐάσας Σικελίης τριλόφοιο Πελωρίδα πέζαν ἐρίπνης, 330τὸν βυθίῳ Κρονίωνι συναπτομένη τέκε Κίρκη, σύγγονος Αἰήταο πολύθρονος, ἣ παρὰ λόχμῃ ᾤκεε πετραίοιο βαθύσκια κύκλα μελάθρου. καὶ Λίβυες στρατόωντο παρʼ Ἑσπέριον κλίμα γαίης ἀγχινεφῆ ναίοντες ἀλήμονος ἄστεα Κάδμου· 335κεῖθι γὰρ ἀντιπόρων ἀνέμων πεφορημένος αὔραις εἰς χρόνον ᾤκεε Κάδμος, ἔχων Σιθωνίδα νύμφην σύμπλοον, Ἁρμονίην ἔτι παρθένον, ἧς διὰ μορφὴν γείτονας ἀντιβίους πολεμητόκος ὥπλισε φήμη, ἣν Χάριν ἀντονόμηνε Λίβυς στρατός—ἁβροτέρη γὰρ 340Βιστονὶς ἐβλάστησεν ἐπιχθονίη χάρις ἄλλη, τῆς ἄπο καὶ Λιβύης Χαρίτων λόφος—, ἧς ἐπὶ μορφῇ ἅρπαγος ὑσμίνης δεδονημένος ἄφρονι κέντρῳ φρικτὸς ἐρωμανέων ἐκορύσσετο βάρβαρος Ἄρης, λαὸς ἐρημονόμος Μαυρούσιος· ἀλλὰ τινάσσων 345χερσὶ γυναιμανέεσσι Λιβυστίδος ἔγχος Ἀθήνης Ἁρμονίης πολέμιζε προασπίζων παρακοίτης, ἑσπερίων δʼ ἐφόβησεν ὅλον γένος Αἰθιοπήων σὺν Διὶ θωρηχθέντι, σὺν Ἄρεϊ καὶ Κυθερείῃ· κεῖθι καί, ὡς ἐνέπουσι, παρὰ Τριτωνίδι λίμνῃ 350Ἁρμονίῃ παρέλεκτο ῥοδώπιδι Κάδμος ἀλήτης, νύμφαι δʼ Ἑσπερίδες μέλος ἔπλεκον, ὧν ἀπὸ κήπου Κύπρις ὁμοῦ καὶ Ἔρωτες ἐκόσμεον εὔγαμον εὐνήν, χρυσείην θαλάμοισιν ἐπικρεμάσαντες ὀπώρην, νύμφης ἕδνον ἔρωτος ἐπάξιον, ἧς ἀπὸ φύλλων 355Ἁρμονίη καὶ Κάδμος ἐχεκτεάνῳ παρὰ παστῷ βόστρυχον ἀφνειοῖσιν ἐμιτρώσαντο κορύμβοις ἀντὶ ῥόδου γαμίοιο· καὶ ἁβροτέρη πέλε νύμφη χρύσεα δῶρα φέρουσα, γέρας χρυσῆς Ἀφροδίτης· καὶ μέλος ἀστραίης κιθάρης ἐπίκωμον ἐγείρας 360μητροπάτωρ σφαιρηδὸν ἑῷ βητάρμονι ταρσῷ οὐρανὸν ἀμφελέλιζε Λίβυς κυρτούμενος Ἄτλας, καὶ μέλος ἁρμονίης ἐμελίζετο γείτονι φωνῇ· καὶ ζυγίης φιλότητος ἑῆς μνημήια νύμφης δῶκε ποδῶν ἐπίβαθρα Λιβυστίδι Κάδμος ἀρούρῃ, 365δωμήσας πολίων ἑκατοντάδα, δῶκε δʼ ἑκάστῃ δύσβατα λαϊνέοις ὑψούμενα τείχεα πύργοις. κείνου μνῆστιν ἔχοντες ἐπεστρατόωντο μαχηταὶ μαρναμένου Βρομίοιο προασπιστῆρες Ἐνυοῦς, τικτομένης ναίοντες ἐδέθλια γείτονα Μήνης 370καὶ Διὸς Ἀσβύσταο μεσημβρίζοντας ἐναύλους, μαντιπόλου κερόεντος, ὅπῃ ποτὲ πολλάκις Ἄμμων ἀρνειοῦ τριέλικτον ἔχων ἴνδαλμα κεραίης ὀμφαίοις στομάτεσσιν ἐθέσπισεν Ἑσπέριος Ζεύς· οἵ τε ῥόον Χρεμέταο καὶ οἳ παρὰ Κίνυφος ὕδωρ 375ᾤκεον ἀζαλέης ψαμαθώδεα πέζαν ἀρούρης, Αὐσχῖσαι Βάκαλές τε συνήλυδες, οὓς πλέον ἄλλων Ἄρεϊ τερπομένους Ζεφυρήιος ἔτρεφεν ἀγκών.

To him came from Sicily longshot Achates, and shieldbearing comrades with him, a great host of Cillyriol and Elymoi, and those who lived round the seat of the Palicoi; those who had a city by the lake Catana near the Sirens, whom rosy Terpsichore brought forth by the stormy embraces of her bull-horned husband Achelous those who possessed Camarina, where the wild Hipparis disgorges his those from the winding water in a roaring flood ; sacred citadel of Hybla, and those dwelling near Altos, where the rock alight and kettles of fire boil up the hot flare of Typhaon’s bed; those who scattered their houses along the beetling brow of Peloros and the bland ground of sea-resounding Pachynos and Sicilia Arethusa, where after his wandering travels Alpheios creeps proud of his Pisan chaplet—he crosses the deep like a highway, and draws water, the slave of love, unwetted over the surface of the sea, for he carries a burning fire warms through the cold water. After these Phaunos came, leaving the […] Pelorian plain of three-peak Sicily the rocky, whom Circe bore embraced Croton of the Deep? Circe the witch of many, Aletas’s sister, who dwelt in the deep- the western clime, the cities of wandering Cadmos the clouds, Fort here on a time dwelt Cadmos by contrary winds, on the voyage with his bride ! Harmonia still a maiden. The of her beauty bred war and armed hostile The Libyan army named her Charis, the Bistonian girl bloomed like another Charis this world and even more dainty, and the Graces’ Hill of Libya had its name from her. So the Maur people of the desert because of her beauty were stung with mad lust of robber warfare, and took arms, horrible barbarian Ares wild with. Bat Harmonia’s mate held his shield before — grasping in hand the spear of Libyan Athena defend his beloved wife, and put to flight the whole nation of western Ethiopians, with armed Zeus as ally, with Ares and Cythereia. And there as they say, by the Tritonian she, Cadmos the wanderer lay with rosy-cheek Harmonia, and the Nymphs […] made a song for them, and Cypris together with the Loves decked out a fine bed for the wedding, hanging in the bridal chamber golden fruit from the Nymph garden, a worthy lovegift for the bride: clusters of their leaves Harmonia and Cadmos twined through their hair, amid the abundance of their bridechamber, in place of the wedding-roses. Still more dainty the bride apharp to join the revels, and with tripping foot he twirled the heavens round like a ball, while he sang a stave of harmony himself not far away. Cadmos too, in memory of the love of his wedded bride, paid his footing in the Libyan land by building a hundred cities, and he gave to each lofty walls inaccessible, with towers of stone. With his memory in mind, came warriors to the host, forefighters of Enyo when Beoeskos went to war : those who dwell in settlements near the Moon’s birthplace and the southern shelters of Zeus Asbystes the horned prophet, where Ammon the Western Zeus has often uttered oracles in the shape of a ram with three spiral horns ; those whose home was on the sandy plain of parched land beside the stream of Chremetes and the water of Cinyps; Auschisai and Bacales together, bred in a corner of the West, and more than others devoted to Ares,

378τόσσος λαὸς ἔην ἑκατόμπολις· ἐρχομένης δὲ πληθύος ἡγεμόνευε Κραταιγόνος, ὅν ποτε κούρη 380Ἀγχιρόη Χρεμέταο παρὰ πλαταμῶνα τοκῆος Ψύλλου κουφονόοιο μινυνθαδίῃ τέκεν εὐνῇ νυμφίον ἀγκὰς ἔχουσα θεημάχον, οὗ ποτε καρποὺς ἄσθματι διψαλέῳ Νότος ἔφλεγε θερμὸς ἀήτης· αὐτὰρ ὁ θωρήσσων κορυθαιόλον Ἄρεα νηῶν 385ναύμαχον ἑσμὸν ἄγειρεν, ὅπως ποινήτορι θεσμῷ ἠερίοις ἀνέμοισιν ἀναστήσειεν Ἐνυώ, ἱέμενος κτεῖναι φλογερὸν Νότον· ἄγχι δὲ νήσου Αἰολίης στόλος ἦλθε σακέσπαλος, ἀλλὰ μανέντος ἀνδρὸς ἀκοντιστῆρες ἀελλήεντι κυδοιμῷ 390ὁλκάδα μαστίζοντες ἐθωρήχθησαν ἀῆται, συμφερτὴν δονέοντες ἀρηγόνα σύμπνοον αὔρην, καὶ στρατιὴν καὶ Ψύλλον ἐτυμβεύσαντο θαλάσσῃ.

So great was the […] of the hundred cities; and their masses came by Crataigonos, whom Anchiroe daughter of Chremetes brought forth on her father’s riverbank in that short-lasting union with Psyllos the harebrained ; the bridegroom she held in her arms was the gods’ enemy. Notos, that hot wind, once burnt his crops with parching breath whereupon he fitted out a fleet and gathered a naval swarm of helmeted warriors, to stir up strife against the winds of the south with avenging doom, eager to fiery Notos. To the island of Aiolos sailed the fleet; but the Winds armed themselves and fogged the madman’s vessel, volleying with tempestuous […] in a whirlwind throng of concerted confederate blasts, and sank Psyllos and armament in a watery grave.

People and places in this passage

English translation by W. H. D. Rouse (1940). Original text: W. H. D. Rouse (ed.), Nonnos, Dionysiaca, Loeb Classical Library 344, 354, 356, London: Heinemann; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1940-1942 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library, Greek text); translation public domain (Rouse, Loeb 1940-42: US copyright not renewed; Rouse died 1950; OCR from the Internet Archive scans). Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.